I Get To Play With My Dishes-Day #14 of Thanksgiving

It's one of my favorite homemaking tasks:

Playing with my dishes in preparation for a holiday meal.

Does that sound weird?

I don't get to use them very often, 

at least, not all at once.

Nearly all of them have memories for me.
Like the silver chest above.
We bought that service for 12 with money my parents gave us
for Christmas one year.

And the napkins pictured below.

20 years ago, when experiencing the beauty of fall 

was still new to me

-we had moved from San Diego-

I went in my yard and picked up 3 different kinds of leaves,

traced their shapes onto calico 

and sewed the shapes onto napkins.

That was the year we had the DH's great aunt 
and 6 new friends for Thanksgiving.

It was only the 2nd Thanksgiving I'd ever spent apart from my parents and brother.

Our dining room table, pictured here and only 5 years old then, 

accommodated all 12 of us wonderfully well.

I bought this bowl and pan at a beach community the year

-the only year in 32 years-

my Dear Husband forgot our anniversary.

Notice the mountain peaks in this bowl?

It came from Redstone, Colorado, a tiny community in the Rockies,
elevation 6000 feet.

This was my first piece of crystal.  Got it the year my son was born, 1983.

Don't ask me why I thought I needed a divided crystal vegetable bowl.

I must have been sleep-deprived, 
having just had my 3rd baby in 37 months.

This pretty Chantal deep-dish pie pan
is really too big for our needs 
except at holidays.

Oh, and all those post-it notes?  

I label the dishes so I know I have enough dishes 
and so anyone helping in the kitchen

will know what food goes in which dish.


Again, dear reader, I ask,
does that seem weird?

Putting the serving spoons in them ensures that each dish will have

the proper tool once it gets on the table.  
Saves time and confusion those last few minutes

when we're trying to get the meal on the table 

in a timely manner.

I learned to get my serving tools and dishes out 
a few days before a holiday, and to label them

from Emily Barnes about 25 years ago.

Anybody remember Emily Barnes?
What a precious spiritual and practical mentor 
she was to me!


This year I'm going to use these as bread plates.
Aren't they pretty?

This piece, also from Redstone, will be our water pitcher.
We got this the year DH and I rode horses with our friend, 
who lives there, up into the Rockies to 9000 feet.
Our guide cooked for us. 
After dinner we made s'mores by the camp fire.
There was a full moon that night.
It hailed marbles the next morning at 5 a.m.

When it comes time to serve pie, we will use these.

One Thanksgiving, I remember being secretly shocked

that my dear girlfriend wanted to use paper plates to serve the pie!

I thought, "On Thanksgiving?!"

I wish she was coming on Thursday,

but that's not possible.

She died of breast cancer at 42.

So there you have it, folks.
Playing with my dishes is a walk down memory lane for me.
As I lovingly lay them out,
I get to remember holidays 
and special dinners spent with
loved ones.


And for that, I am truly grateful.


Now, don't you dare forget that 
God rejoices over you and me!
Love, Karen


WHOOPEE!  
I found a whole crowd of like-minded bloggers who love to play with their dishes
so I'm linking up with 
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays 

Take a peak at some of the beautiful tables these girls set!